


Counting Stars

by shitpickle



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, cute boyfriends at the park
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-28
Updated: 2014-02-28
Packaged: 2018-01-14 01:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1247626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shitpickle/pseuds/shitpickle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike is the brightest star in Armin's sky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Counting Stars

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr ficlet i wrote. lapslock warning. armin's age bumped. lalala. what is that summary idk.

armin receives the text at 10:49, and even though on any other day he would have been struggling to sleep by then or sprawled out on the floor in the front hall to wait for mike, he checks the text instead.

[ from mike♥ ] come on down. warmed the swing up for you.

he likes to tell himself that he hadn't grinned so wide his cheeks had started to hurt by the five-second mark, but it's a lie. he has his jacket and shoes on in record time, wrapping a navy scarf around his neck that smelled of mike for extra protection against that night's chill.

once he makes it down to the park stationed in front of their apartment building, it doesn't take him long to pick mike out from the shadows that shroud the structures erected from the bark dust below his feet. he's sitting on a swing with his back facing armin, head tilted back slightly and smoke billowing over his head every now and then. armin stands back for a moment to watch the other, listening to the creaking of the chains holding the swings up and the rattling of bare branches; spring seems to be awfully late this year.

he starts forward again when mike flicks his cigarette and tosses it aside, shoving his hands into his pockets and starting to rock himself back and forth, feet braced on the ground in front of him. he's leaning forward, since his shoulders can't fit between the chains. the swing was built for a boy, not a man.

armin doesn't make himself known until he's standing behind mike. "you called?" he asks, and mike stops his swing.

"you're late." his tone isn't accusatory in the least.

armin sits himself down on the swing next to mike's, holding a hand out between them. the warmth that surrounds it seconds later is satisfying. "we could have talked inside," armin hums, pushing himself with his feet against the ground but keeping a firm grip on mike's hand.

"i thought you'd want to see the stars."

armin glances over at mike in surprise before turning his gaze up to the sky. it's clear, more so than armin had expected, and the view is breathtaking. there are millions of stars dotting a canvas of black and armin is mesmerized for a long moment, his fingers tightening their hold between mike's. he holds his breath so the icy puffs he lets out won't ruin the beauty of the constellations painted before him.

he smiles, almost sadly, as he looks back at mike. "it's beautiful."

it's beautiful, even though all of these stars have probably been dead for a long time now. armin wonders briefly if there is beauty in death for anything else.

a firm squeeze to his hand brings him back to reality, to the man sitting beside him with the tiniest hint of a smile tugging at his lips. thinking of death seems like a crime now, and armin struggles to smile back.

how could he, after thinking something like that?

mike doesn't say anything for a while, and armin doesn't either. the silence that settles over them like a warm blanket isn't strange or out-of-place. it's natural and welcomed, but short-lived.

the peace of the chilly night is shattered when mike stands up suddenly and hauls armin over his shoulder, making his way over to the play structure while the shorter blond tries his best to recover from the shriek he'd let out. mike's shoulder digs into his stomach, but it's the least of his worries.

"where are you taking me?" armin asks as mike trudges up the steps. the entire structure shakes with each step, and armin prays that it stands in one piece by the end of this.

mike refuses to provide any explanation as he lets armin down again. they are standing together at the highest point of the playground, at the top of a spiral slide. the stars seem impossibly closer here, and armin stares up at the sky with unguarded awe. 

"if you want one, i could jump up and get it for you," mike offers, wrapping his arms around armin's shoulders and tugging him forward. the chuckle he lets out when armin nearly stumbles and presses his face to mike's chest in mild embarrassment doesn't help at all.

smaller arms snake around mike's middle, and they stand atop the playground in silence until armin looks up again. "that was incredibly gross," he comments, turning his head away again to rest his cheek against mike's chest. "besides, if you tried to jump here, this flimsy thing would come crashing down with me on it."

mike chuckles again, much to armin's chagrin.  _curse his laugh_. "want me to test that theory?" the question earns him a smack on the bottom, but he remains unfazed.

"you're horrible," armin mutters, looking back up at mike again with his lower lip jutting out slightly in mock annoyance. "absolutely, positively  _terrible._ "

"and you love it," mike interjects, dropping his arms and picking armin up again. armin takes it in stride, holding on to mike's broad shoulders and securing his legs around the other's waist. it's better like this, when they're at eye level and all it takes is a lean forward to kiss mike. he can properly see mike's eyes like this too; can read his expressions and trace his jaw with his fingers and feel his prickly stubble. 

"i love it," armin agrees after a beat of silent staring, his arms settling loosely around mike's neck. "i love you."

every time mike smiles, the same warm sensation spreads from his chest to the tips of his fingers and armin likes that the effect never changes.

every time mike tells him he loves him, armin's chest aches with a good kind of pain that occurs when he wants to give more of himself to mike, but doesn't have anything left to give.

every time mike's lips press against his own, he feels like he's floating through a field of stars, that nothing could stop him or hold him down. it's all incredibly  _gross,_ but armin can't help what mike makes him feel.

he's wading through stars again when mike kisses him, gentle and fleeting before deepening into something more. armin grips the back of mike's jacket tightly to keep him grounded as his eyes close, losing himself in everything  _mike_ and relying solely on the arms supporting him and the texture of mike's lips to guide him.

when they part again, the taste of smoke and an underlying hint of mint lingers on armin's lips, but he's used to it by now. his fingers make their way into mike's hair, twisting and pulling gently as he rests his forehead against the other's. his heartbeat slows gradually as he focuses on their breaths, on the fingertips tracing idle shapes into his back, and the chilly air that surrounds them and licks at his bare skin.

"i almost forgot the real reason why i called you out here," mike says after a little while, soft enough so armin isn't startled.

he pulls his head back to look mike in the eyes, his head tilting slightly and curiosity apparent in his eyes.

" _'yours is the light by which my spirit's born: you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars'._ "

armin will forever deny the dusting of pink that appeared on his cheeks at that, administering a firm tug to mike's hair and receiving a squeeze to his bottom in return.

"gross."


End file.
